Project Summary

Project Abstract:Municipal police departments in major urban areas in Texas are alerted to hundreds of wrong-way driving events each year. The vast majority of these events (60 to 70 percent or more) that result in crashes are known to involve a driver who was impaired. The severity of wrong-way crashes is a major concern given the likelihood of a head-on crash, and historical data from Texas show that half of wrong-way crashes result in a fatality or incapacitating injury. While standard and innovative countermeasures are available, it is not clear what methods are most successful at getting the attention of wrong-way drivers and conveying to them that they are going the wrong direction on a freeway ramp or the main lanes. Guidance on where to deploy wrong-way countermeasures is also needed.

Implementation of Research Outcomes:The findings from this research effort show that a wide variety of countermeasures and mitigation methods are needed to combat wrong way driving (WWD) on controlled-access highways. Researchers believe that low-cost traditional and innovative traffic control device countermeasures are effective at reducing WWD events. However, based on the findings of this research and anecdotal evidence, researchers suspect that these countermeasures will not attract the attention of or be understood by highly intoxicated drivers. Therefore, WWD detection systems are also needed.

Impacts/Benefits of Implementation:Based on the findings of this research effort, researchers developed guidelines for TxDOT districts where WWD has been identified as an issue. Researchers also made recommendations regarding the design and display of wrong way driver warning messages on directional message signs (DMSs).